U.S. Pat. No. 4,031,832 shows an injection planting tool for injection planting skeletal plant containers or frames in which a plant is growing. For the injection planting procedure, the plant containers each comprise a base section having a depending bullet-shaped base section. The upper surface of each base section is provided with an annular shoulder and a plurality of ribs extending upwardly. The ribs are positioned radially within the shoulder and the upper ends of the ribs are connected to a ring which is disposed in a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the container.
As shown in the noted patent, the injection planting tool has a tubular lower section with a slot extending longitudinally of the tubular section. The internal diameter of the tubular section is substantially equal to or slightly larger than the outer diameter of the ring on the upper end of the containers. The container absent its sleeve is telescopically inserted into the lower end of the tubular section of the tool with the stem and top growth of the plant growing in the container extending outwardly of the tool through the slot in the tubular section. The ribs and ring are loosely frictionally held in the tubular section of the tool with the lower edge of the tubular section in vertical abutment upon the annular shoulder on the top of the base of the container.
As further described in the above noted patent, the planting tool is used by pushing the tubular section into the ground. When the tubular section has been pushed into the ground to a depth sufficient to place the plant container at its proper depth, the tool is withdrawn from the ground leaving the skeletal plant container growing therein planted in the ground. A disadvantage of the described tool is that if upon a particular insertion of the tubular section in the ground the base section of the plant container strikes a rock or other obstruction preventing insertion of the plant to the proper depth, pulling of the tool upwardly will not result in removal of the plant container and the plant container and the plant growing therein will be effectively lost.